I am pleased to present the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service’s third public report, in which we describe the world security environment surrounding Estonia.

In 2017, Russian meddling abroad was starkly exposed for a large share of the public in the US and Europe. The topic received an unprecedented and quite deserved level of attention. Defining moments included the unanimous assessment of US intelligence agencies regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 American election, French president Emmanuel Macron’s denunciation of Russian media channels as “agents of influence”, and German chancellor Angela Merkel’s warning to Russian president Vladimir Putin not to meddle in the German election.

Estonian security institutions have been talking for years about attempts on Russia’s part to splinter the unity and trust that exists between nations in the West. The awareness of this fact is now spreading more broadly in the US and in many places around Europe. Unfortunately, no changes can be seen in Russia’s behaviour.

In the years ahead, Russia seems likely to continue its politics of division and opposition to the system of Western values. In our report, we illustrate on just how broad a front Russia is waging this battle by listing the conflicts and regions where we see Russian interference as highly likely this year.